Friend Sāriputta, who in the world are speakers of Dhamma? Who in the world are those who practice rightly?

Venerable Sāriputta tells the wanderer Jambukhādaka the defining characteristics of those teaching the true Dhamma.

The meditation was followed with the answers to a few questions, including whether “sending metta” to an ill person makes a difference, on having many teachers, and the role of ethics (“sīla”) in meditation.

Purity of mind is the greatest common denominator of all religions. Love, which alone is the means for the unity of mankind, must be supreme, and it cannot be so unless the mind is transcendentally pure.

This book contains the transcripts of three lectures given in 1951 to a class of Westerners in Burma who were looking to better understand the local religion.

Monks, a friend endowed with seven qualities is worth associating with.

The same scanning procedure can be employed for the next body contemplation, which instead takes up the four elements as basic constituents of matter in general and the human body in particular. These four are earth, water, fi re, and wind, which represent the qualities of solidity or hardness, cohesion or wetness, temperature, and motion.

A brief introduction to the Four Satipaṭṭhānas.

Only simple living can bring real satisfaction.

This is the difference between a Realized One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha, and a mendicant freed by wisdom.

The Buddha declares that a mendicant is freed by wisdom by non-attachment to the aggregates, in just the same way as he himself. He then explains that the difference between himself and another awakened mendicant is simply that he was the first to discover the path and teach it to others.

All his doubts then vanish since he understands
Each thing along with its cause.

The Buddha, soon after awakening, summarizes what it is he awakened to.

Monks, whether Tathāgatas arise or not, this aspect of the world remains the same…

Impermanence, suffering, and not-self are natural laws discovered by the Buddha.

‘What does your teacher say, what does he teach?’ Being asked thus, friends, you should answer: ‘Our teacher, friends, teaches the removal of desire and lust.’

A number of mendicants are heading for lands West, but the Buddha advises them to speak with Sāriputta before they go. Sāriputta teaches them how to reply to inquiries into their beliefs.

Of these Four Noble Truths, there is one to be completely understood, one to be abandoned, one to be realized, and one to be developed.

Being nearly 25% bibliography, the book is more of a springboard for further study than a comprehensive introduction.

Mendicants, a noble disciple who grows in ten ways grows nobly, taking on what is essential and excellent in this life. What ten?

What do people accumulate to be happy and successful?

Just as the great ocean has but one taste, the taste of salt, so too, this Dhamma and discipline has but one taste: the taste of liberation. This is the sixth astounding and amazing quality…

Spirits delight in the ocean for eight reasons, and likewise the mendicants delight in the Dhamma for eight similar reasons.

‘The straight way’ that path is called,
And ‘fearless’ is its destination.

To escape from the Forest of Delusion, one needs the vehicle of the Dhamma.

… the appearance of three people is rare in the world…

I do not perceive another single factor so helpful as good friendship…

Friendship with admirable people is the prime external factor to help those in training.

It’s not what you believe. It’s what you do.

Fourteen writers here describe how they came to be Buddhists.

The only time we can live is now

Explaining the fundamentals of meditation practice and the Buddhist outlook in accessible and winning prose, Being Nobody, Going Nowhere is a much-beloved, classic introduction.

Ours, of course, is not the only culture threatened by feelings of world-weariness. In the Siddhartha story, the father’s reaction to the young prince’s discovery stands for the way most cultures try to deal with these feelings: He tried to convince the prince that his standards for happiness were impossibly high, at the same time trying to distract him

A collection of short essays outlining how to approach the Buddhist Path.

Buddhist philosophy regards a being not as an enduring entity but as a dynamic process [and], like science, is based on cause and effect

A pair of speeches delivered to an interfaith gathering in 1958 explaining the basics of Buddhism and its relation to the questions of modernity.

“Right View” is to see and let go.

A meditative reflection on Right (and Wrong) Views and starting the practice on the Right foot.

Don’t think of this as “cosmic.” It’s not. It’s practical.

Venerable Courtin gives an emphatic exhortation on the purpose of Buddhist practice.

Note: I do not recommend the second or third parts of this talk as they take a sectarian turn.

Are we really living according to our ideals?

A talk on overcoming philosophical laziness.

… among practitioners, Zazen is affectionately known as “just sitting”

A brief introduction to West Coast Zen.

All actions in this life are preceded by mind. Mind is their chief.

A straightforward translation of the Dhammapada based on a contemporary Sinhalese translation.

For a nearly-complete list of Dhammapada translations in English, see Bodhgaya News.

… what the Buddha knew and what he told us is a hard-to-come-by, transcendental truth which will make us happy all the time

A collection of Than Ajahn Suchart’s early Dhamma talks in English.

Volume 2 can be found on Google Drive here.

Buddhism is not likely to be at variance with science so long as scientists confine themselves to their methodology and their respective fields without making a dogma of materialism.

When we adopt a Buddhist perspective on the wounds that afflict our world today, we soon realize that these wounds are symptomatic: a warning signal that something is fundamentally awry with the way we lead our lives.

You can also listen to this book on Pariyatti’s website.

The third, and most important, reason [Buddhism uses narratives to communicate its ethics] is that we are narratives ourselves.

A defense of Buddhism as Philosophy from the Western perspective.

It is legitimate to write a history of Buddhism, but such a book will be more history than Buddhism, and in order to make sense of that history one should first have an understanding of Buddhism. This book is an introduction to Buddhism in terms of a methodology that Buddhism itself suggests.

It is interesting to compare this sutta to AN 5.71 which seems to compare Enlightenment with tearing down a city.

For an even more detailed analysis, see MN 117.

… humans are driven by feelings. We feel the world, and when things feel right, we get a greater sense of meaning. And so it is with Buddhism.

There are many signs pointing to the Buddha-to-be’s special qualities.

A short talk, nominally on the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.

To be able to let go of the past and future, it’s not seeing the negativity of the past or a waste of time thinking about the future, but it’s actually appreciating the joy and the beauty and the compassion of being right here right now. This is Kindfulness of the present moment. When you’re kindful of where you are right now, it means you’re here and you’re kind to this moment: Appreciating the beauty of being here and now

The Buddha was the first religious teacher who meant his message to be proclaimed to all humankind and who made a concrete effort to do this.

In the Dhamma we have a perfect teaching, and in the Buddha we have a perfect teacher, and the combination of these two meant that within a short time of being first proclaimed, the Dhamma became remarkably widespread.

Should you find a way to peace and happiness,
Strive constantly to put it into practice

Raise your spirits and encourage yourself.
And always meditate on emptiness.

should laziness or procrastination strike,
Immediately take note of your errors, one by one,
And remind yourself of the heart of your discipline.

Practising like this, you will complete Accumulations of both merit and wisdom,
And eliminate the two forms of obscuration.
You will make this human life meaningful,
And, in time, gain unsurpassable awakening.

… and the resolution to the paradox is not through working it out theoretically. The resolution to the paradox is in the experience of freedom.

We don’t doubt that the Buddha attained nibbāna, but we doubt very much that we can

I have arrived, I am home
In the here, in the now
I am solid, I am free
In the ultimate, I dwell

An invitation and encouragement to stop and heal.

… too many people live life as if they’re in a fast car: looking through the window, always going on to the next thing

Ajahn Brahm explains how going slow allows us to see the beauty in life and ourselves.

… aspects of the myth must be stripped away

An invitation to imagine a more austere figure than the prince of myth.

… the vast majority of Americans (97 percent) are forfeiting the chance to enhance their well-being by practicing real generosity with their money.

This book is intended to provide an introduction to the teachings of the Buddha which will shed some light on a subject that, to non-Buddhists, can appear both unexpectedly rational and exotically strange.

A consise and admirable introduction to Theravāda Buddhism by one of Thailand’s most charismatic converts.

Your ability to stick with these qualities is what’s going to help them grow. When you notice yourself wandering off, ardency means that you bring the mind right back. If it wanders off again, bring it back again. You don’t give up.

Book number four in Ajahn Geoff’s famous Meditations series, on breath meditation and how to approach the practice.

To be female is to have the dukkha of a female. To be male is to have the dukkha of a male. […] If we deludedly think ‘I am happy’ then we must suffer accordingly.

In these three dhamma talks on emptiness delivered at Siriraj Hospital (Bangkok) in 1961, Ajahn Buddhadasa cuts right to the heart of Buddhism, encouraging us in plain and vivid language to stop identifying as or clinging to anything at all.

… deliverance from saṃsāra, i.e., the sorrow-laden round of existence, cannot consist in the re-absorption into an eternal Absolute which is at the root of all manifoldness, but can only be achieved by a complete extinguishing of all factors which condition the processes constituting life and world.

The book was written in 1990, and Wisdom published an expanded version in 1991 that became a huge success. That version has since undergone several revisions and reprints, the latest being the “20th Anniversary Edition” from 2011.

A shorter version of this book from the 1970s (called Come and See) is available over at the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation.

Transcribed from a series of YouTube videos, this short booklet concisely describes the practice as it’s taught in the Mahasi vipassana tradition.

For those practicing intensively according to this booklet, I encourage you to sign up for one-on-one instruction here.

There is also a sequel to this booklet.

There are a few English translations of this classic of world literature. Steven Bachelor has a free translation (linked above), but I strongly prefer the Padmakara translation published by Shambhala in 1999 for its unparalleled accuracy and force.

What do you think, chief? Could a broad rock rise up or float because of prayers?

The Buddha excoriates a chief for believing that prayers can send someone to heaven.

Then one day, [the young man] utters these three words. When the young lady hears this, she trembles, because it is such an important statement. When you say something like that with your whole being, not just with your mouth or your intellect, but with your whole being, it can transform the world. A statement that has such power of transformation is called a mantra.

A lucid and concise explanation of emptiness and interdependence beautifully tailored to his American audience, this book is based on a lecture Thay delivered at the Green Gulch Zen Center, in Muir Beach, California on April 19, 1987.

The First Noble Truth is not: ‘I am suffering and I want to end it.’ The insight is, ‘There is suffering’. Now you are looking at the pain or the anguish you feel not from the perspective of ‘It’s mine’ but as a reflection: ‘There is suffering, this dukkha’. It is coming from the position of ‘the Buddha seeing the Dhamma.’ The insight is simply the acknowledgement that there is this suffering without making it personal.

This small booklet was compiled and edited from talks given by Venerable Ajahn Sumedho on the central teaching of the Buddha

“The person” has to be killed before one can be an arahant. If what we call “the person” has not been killed, there is no way one can be an arahant.

Transcribed from talks delivered to the students of Thammasat University in Bangkok in 1966, this short and readable series of question-and-answers gives a lucid corrective to many popular misconceptions and questions about Buddhism.

It is wrong perception that leads to the concepts of being and nonbeing.

Zen practice is the direct expression of our true nature. Strictly speaking, for a human being, there is no other practice than this

This modern classic of Japanese Buddhism has introduced several generations of Westerners to the simple yet challenging beauty of Zen practice.

The text jumps inside me to help me out.
…
So, when you’re studying Buddhism, what are you studying?
I know the answer. I’m studying me.
I’m studying me.

An open-source version can be read online for free at Reading Faithfully or via the links compiled online, but the real book is still recommended for its helpful redactions and notes.

I have referenced the fourth edition on this site, but the newest available version should be preferred.

I would say that the Nikāyas and Āgamas give us a “historical-realistic perspective” on the Buddha, while the Mahāyāna sūtras give us a “cosmic-metaphysical perspective.”

Bhikkhu Bodhi explores the Bodhisattva ideal from the perspective of the both the Theravāda and Mahayana, with a brief summary of its history. An excellent introduction to this vital topic.

The Monastic Sangha is both training ground and dwelling place for the Noble Sangha, much like a university is both a training ground and a dwelling place for scholars.

Given the thousands of years separating us from the Buddha, Bhikkhu Cintita asks the excellent question of how it is that Buddhism has survived so well across time and cultures, and then uses this theory to ponder how modern, Western practitioners should approach this question of “Sasana.” An excellent and rare introduction to the sociology of Buddhism “from the inside,” this book is a must-read.

You will experience many sensual pleasures in your life: food, music, sex and zombie movies. You should become aware as well of the great joy, a pleasure beyond the sensual, that comes with generosity. Become aware that this joy is greatest when your intentions are purest, when the recipients of your generosity are worthy and when the manner of giving is proper. This joy is the direct experience of the merit you have earned.

This book gives a gentle and readable introduction to the Buddhist path of self-transformation and transcendence with a heavy emphasis on virtue.

Walpola Rahula’s book has had a dramatic impact on the shape of Buddhist thought in the West but its interest is far from merely historical: it remains one of the most lucid and sympathetic introductions available in English, even today. Recommended for newcomers to Buddhism or anyone looking for a solid grounding in Buddhist doctrine.

You can also find the book read out loud on YouTube, or you can order a physical copy of the book for free by contacting the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation.

Note: The above PDF link is missing Chapter 40. You can read the missing chapter online here.

The idea of the Buddha nature, or the earlier idea that “this mind is brightly shining, but it is defiled by visiting defilements,” point to a potential for good deep in everyone…

A defense of Buddhism in light of some Western critiques and an encouragement to try out one particular Eastern practice.

One should sustain this recollection

The Buddha describes, in this much beloved poem from the Sutta Nipata, how to cultivate loving-kindness.

It would be good, lord, if the Blessed One would teach me the Dhamma in brief

This discourse is one of the few teachings in the canon (along with the teachings on mindfulness) which the Buddha declared as “categorical”: always applicable and useful in any situation. This sutta gives, better than any other, the overall direction of the teachings, and is a helpful rubric to refer back to.

What lies behind this insistence on love is a worry: without a deep-seated fear that one day love would no longer exist (or exist in the same way) why would anyone feel that they have to insist upon it so much?

Applying Buddhist wisdom to an area of our life we all care about deeply — our relationship with our loved ones — Ajahn Jayasaro makes the teachings relatable and applicable. An excellent sermon and well worth a read.

You can also listen to the book on YouTube.

You can also listen to this essay on YouTube.

…recognize that this view is not scientific discovery: it is ideology.

Many Westerners come to Buddhism wed to scientific materialism and find themselves unable to overcome their “Science Delusion.” White tackles this subject head-on in this striking interview.

Freud in particular developed the concept that freedom means acting on one’s desires. … From a Buddhist standpoint, this notion is totally twisted

Buddhism has a lot to contribute to the pressing problems of modernity. In this article, Powers briefly explores four such domains: individualism, science, freedom, and morality.